It’s been three years under construction, but the world’s largest cruise ship is finally ready to welcome passengers.
Measuring an impressive 1,188 feet, the Wonder of the Seas gives Royal Caribbean was delivered last month and is set to begin its maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the Caribbean on March 4th.
The 18-deck cruise ship was built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and has a capacity of 6,988 guests and 2,300 crew.
“We are excited to introduce guests from around the world to Wonder of the Seas and its world-class features after a six-year process,” Mark Tamis, Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International, told CNN Travel.
“From planning to delivery, we leverage our experience at Royal Caribbean, as well as incorporating our guests’ suggestions and travel partner feedback to create something truly inspiring.”
The ship will begin operating five- to seven-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the Caribbean in March, before launching Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona and Rome in May.
Wonder of the Seas comprises eight environments, one of which contains more than 20,000 real plants, and her onboard features include what is described as the “tallest waterslide at sea”, as well as a 10-deck zipline and a massive swimming pool. movie screen.
Covid outages
“We have always prided ourselves on offering guests the finest and most innovative ships to deliver a truly extraordinary experience. Wonder covers it all,” adds Tamis.
The ship was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2021 but was delayed due to delays caused by the global pandemic.
The cruise liner industry has faced constant disruptions over the past two years as a result of the Covid-19. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised cruise travel to the highest risk level in late December, indicating that the risk of Covid-19 was “very high” due to an increase in infections among passengers and passengers. cruise crews after the emergence of the Ômicron variant.
In January 2022, health agency guidance became optional for a large number of cruise ships. This month, the CDC lowered the risk level from Level 4 to Level 3, which means people must now be fully up to date on their Covid vaccines to be able to travel.
Double dose welcome
Rules under the CDC’s conditional navigation order, which ended January 15, required 95% of passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated to sail under most circumstances, while some cruise lines required vaccinations for all passengers and crew.
Royal Caribbean halted operations on some of its ships, including Symphony of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas, in January due to “Covid-related circumstances around the world.”
Currently, the cruise line requires all passengers aged 12 and over to be fully vaccinated, while those over two must present a negative Covid-19 test before boarding. All guests aged two years and older must wear face masks in most indoor spaces.
Royal Caribbean’s fifth and newest Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas is one of several new cruise ships set to hit the waters in the coming weeks and months.
Discovery Princess, the newest addition to the Princess Cruises fleet, has been delivered to Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
Meanwhile, Disney Wish, the first cruise ship Disney has built in ten years, is due to be delivered this summer (Northern Hemisphere), while Silversea Cruises’ new luxury cruise ship Silver Dawn is scheduled to launch. in spring (northern hemisphere).
Source: CNN Brasil
